


Blood of Redemption

by JabberwockyLyric



Category: Togainu no Chi
Genre: M/M, Possible Character Death, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-10-14 18:14:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10541859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JabberwockyLyric/pseuds/JabberwockyLyric
Summary: Taking care of a comatose Shiki is not easy, especially when enemies from the past seek retribution. Just when Akira thought he has escaped the horrors of Toshima, old enemies resurface, seeking him for the blood he carries. Now, it is up to him and Shiki to end the accursed bloodline.





	1. Revival

Akira peered out at the night sky through a gap in the thick curtains covering the window. As snow blanketed the abandoned buildings of the former Toshima, a seemingly peaceful silence continued throughout the area, isolating and protecting everything it embraced.

 

Despite the apparent tranquility, Akira did not loosen his grip on the hilt of the unsheathed katana in front of him. His sense of wariness and tension were still as strong ever, but that did not stop him from enjoying the beauty of the landscape before him.

 

Once he deem it to be safe enough, he walked over to the room next door and softly called out, “Shiki. We’re going outside to see the snow.”

 

There was no answer, as Shiki was now just a shadow in the back of the room. He had been in that state for over a year now. Akira had stopped keeping track of the exact time as the days blurred together. To him, it didn’t matter how much time had passed, as long as they were always together.

 

Once they were outside, Akira gently pushed Shiki’s wheelchair along a narrow walkway completely lined with trees. Since the area had been abandoned for such a long time, the trees were free to to grow to their full potential. Their total amount wasn’t enough to be considered a forest, but it provided them with more than sufficient coverage.

 

Akira held Shiki’s palm out to catch a falling snowflake. It melted as soon as it made contact with his warm hand. “It’s cold, isn’t it?”

 

As they continued along the path, the snow stopped and, shortly afterwards, the clouds began to clear away to reveal part of a full moon. While taking in the scenery, Akira heard footsteps approaching him from behind. From the sounds of it, they belonged to three people. Akira pretended not to notice their approach as he pushed Shiki towards an area that would be advantageous to him in a battle. Once they had reached the part where the trees were the most dense, Akira drew the katana slung across his back and charged at his pursuers.

 

Even though they did not expect the attack, their reflexes allowed them to deflect the blow with their knives. The three men surrounded Akira and attacked him, but Akira easily defended against their attacks and occasionally took a swipe at them. Once they began to tire, Akira started his barrage of attacks, finally succeeding in breaking the defenses of one of the men and killing him with a thrust through the heart.

 

At that point, Akira noticed he was beginning to grow tired as well.  _ I need to end this quickly. It would be pointless to drag this out any longer. _

 

One of the remaining men said to the other, “Hey, cover for me. I’m going to increase the dose. This guy’s a real monster.”

 

The other nodded and replied, “But you’re going to have to do the same.”

 

“Fine.” He pulled out a glass ampoule filled with a clear liquid.

 

Akira’s eyes widened at the sight of it.  _ It couldn’t be …  _ He tried to attack the man with the glass ampoule, but was blocked by his partner. While they were fighting, Akira, out of the corner of his eyes, saw the man break the top off and drink the liquid inside. Veins appeared on the side of his face. The man charged at Akira at a high speed, but Akira deflected the blow, his arms vibrating from the force of it.

 

What Akira just experienced confirmed his suspicions.  _ This is … Line, no doubt about it. Nano is dead. How did they get their hands on it? _ Before he could come up with explanations, the other man drank out of another glass ampoule and then continued attacking Akira.

 

Akira somehow managed to keep both men at bay with his sword, but he didn’t know how long it would last. Something felt wrong to him. He had fought against people doped up on Line in Igura before, but they weren’t this powerful.  _ Are their bodies just more receptive to it? Or could this possibly be a new type of Line? What’s going on? _

 

While he continued to fight, Akira noticed a figure far away.  _ Shiki! _ Since the two men had an overpowering advantage in strength, they pushed Akira back until he was in an area with more room.  _ Damn, I should have realized this sooner. Shiki might be in danger if I’m not there to protect him. Once they reach the clearing, they’ll have the room they need to maneuver around. What are my options?  _ He got his inspiration when he realized it was snowing again.

 

The next time one of the men attacked him, Akira pretended to fall to ground from the force of the blow. Once he was on the ground, he grabbed a fistful of snow and threw it into their faces. It only stunned them for a few seconds, but Akira managed to slit one of their throats and run away. Behind him, he heard a loud bang and a sharp pain erupted from his right shoulder.  _ Damn it, a gun. _

 

Ignoring the pain, Akira sheathed his sword and ran full speed to where Shiki was, hoping nothing happened to him. When he arrived under the shadow of a tree, he felt a sense of relief as Shiki was there as he had left him. Akira sensed the presence of the last survivor of the group approaching him. Not wanting to leave Shiki behind again, Akira carefully carried Shiki out of the wheelchair, cringing when Shiki’s face pressed into his injured shoulder. Using the shadows as cover, Akira tried to put some distance between him and his pursuer, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

 

_ I need to end this now; I’ve been fighting for over two hours. My body can’t keep this up much longer. _ Akira propped Shiki against the base of a tree and drew his sword. A few seconds passed before the man finally came into view. The man fired his gun upon seeing Akira.

 

Akira avoided the bullets by taking cover behind the trees.  _ I’ll attack him when he runs out of bullets.  _ He crouched near the base of the tree, ready to move in a moment’s notice. There was a break in the shooting pattern and Akira took his chance, charging at the gunman. His assault was met with surprise as his attack was blocked by a knife and forced back. The force of the blow caused Akira’s already worn out fingers to drop his sword. It fell next to a recently discarded gun.

 

Before Akira could reach his fallen sword, the man swung his knife towards Akira. Akira grabbed the knife strapped to his belt and parried the blow. His leaden feeling arms barely managed to stop the next attacks.

 

After dodging several more times, Akira felt his back pressed against the trunk of a tree.  _ I guess this is the end. My arms won’t respond anymore. Shiki, sorry I won’t be there to protect you.  _ He stared straight ahead as the man raised his knife, awaiting the finishing blow.

 

However, the strike never came. An unexpected sight greeted him. The man stood completely still in mid swing; his eye bulging as white metal emerged from his heart.  After a few seconds, the man fell dead to the ground.

  
What Akira saw afterwards made his jaw drop. It was Shiki, holding a bloodstained katana, standing in front of a cloudless sky with a bright full moon.


	2. Awakening

Akira could not believe his eyes as he saw the person standing in front of him.  _ Is … is it really him? … Shiki? He’s awake!   _ Unable to believe the figure standing before him, he could only stand and stare.

 

Shiki fell down to one knee, slumping from overexertion. That broke Akira’s reverie and replaced it with concern. Akira rushed towards Shiki, catching him before he fell to the ground. The worst possibilities passed through Akira’s mind before he realized Shiki’s eyes did not dull; they still had life in them.  _ He’s not going to disappear again. I won’t let him. _

 

With Shiki in his arms, Akira carried him to a safehouse he hid nearby. Still exhausted from the recent fight, Akira walked slower than he would have liked. He heard Shiki murmur something into his shirt. “I can walk.” Due to disuse, Shiki’s voice sounded hoarse and raspy. Akira pretended not to hear and held Shiki closer to him.

 

Shiki tried to struggle out of Akira’s grasp, but his body was in no condition to put up any type of effective resistance. Ultimately, he gave up and closed his eyes.

 

Akira smiled as Shiki fell asleep in his arms.

 

… 

 

The morning light shined upon Shiki’s face and he opened his eyes. Shiki faced the window, staring at the light streaming through the glass. He tried to piece his memories back together from the time he laid in his stupor. The sound of the door creaking open made him turn his head. Akira walked in through the door, holding a tray. “I don’t know if you can eat solid food yet, so I made this rice gruel. You don’t have to eat this if you don’t want to.”

 

Shiki began to push himself upright from the bed. Akira tried to help him, but Shiki put his hand out to stop him. “I can this myself.” Though it was more of a struggle than he remembered, Shiki felt a minor sense of accomplishment when he sat upright upon the bed.

 

After placing the tray upon Shiki’s lap, Akira lingered around the doorway, unsure of what to do next. He knew Shiki would want his independence, but the thought of separation put him on edge, as he worried how Shiki could get himself hurt. “If you need anything, just call. I’ll be outside.” His voice was ladened with resignation. With one last backward glance, Akira left the room.

 

As he sat alone in the room, Shiki looked through the window, to the grey sky through the cracks in the curtains. He returned his gaze to the bowl in his lap and placed a spoonful of the lumpy substance into his mouth. It tasted bland, but Shiki continued eating; he rather enjoyed the simplicity of it.

 

When he finished, his eyes roamed around the room again. Besides the bed, there were no other furniture. He noticed a bed roll tucked away near the corner of the bed.

 

Shiki slowly tried to step out of the bed. His legs buckled under him. Grasping at the sheets, he pulled himself up. He leaned most of his weight on the wall with each grueling step he took. No matter how much the pain caused his body, he gritted his teeth and continued; no longer would he be an invalid being taken care of. It was beyond humiliation to remain in that state. Hours seemed to pass as he reached the main room.

 

An expression of shock crossed Akira’s face as Shiki staggers into the living room. Akira managed to stammer out, “W-what are you doing here? You should be back in bed.”

 

Shiki ignored Akira’s show of concern. “I need to train. I spent too much time rotting in bed.”


	3. A Debt to Repay

Three months have passed. Shiki regained his mobility and could wield his katana, but he was nowhere near the level he was at when he reigned as Il Re.

 

The training he underwent was grueling. It wasn’t so much training, as it was forcing himself to run and wield a sword from the get go. Akira knew that Shiki was pushing himself too hard and tried to stop him. However, his protests fell upon deaf ears.

 

Shiki ignored him most of the time, but would sometimes grumble, “I never asked for your help, so stop concerning yourself with me.”

 

Akira took it upon himself to at least establish a rehabilitation regimen that slowly built up the muscles that Shiki lost from atrophy. As much as it irritated him to be babied by Akira once again, Shiki quietly went through the regimen, as he never wanted to admit that it was helping him make more progress than his own attempts at rehabilitation. Thanks to Akira, Shiki could walk normally in a matter of months.

 

However, his inability to wield a weapon made him feel weak. Shiki initiated fights with Akira, despite the latter’s concern that he was pushing himself too hard. While Akira was reluctant to return the katana for fear of Shiki’s health, nothing stopped Shiki from taking it back himself.

 

The sparring matches soon became a daily routine. Akira eventually caved in, deciding that it was better for Shiki to fight daily than have him wander to god knows where.

 

That morning, they were preparing for their match. Shiki and Akira stood opposite of each other, outside of the storefront they were using as shelter.

 

Shiki charged first, unsheathing his katana as he closed the distance between them. His sword made an upwards arc towards Akira’s chest. However, metal met metal, as Akira pulled out his dagger at the last minute to parry the blow. Using that momentum, Akira pushed Shiki back.

 

Akira wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible, to stop Shiki from overexerting himself again. The rules were simple, the first to land on his back loses. While Akira could just intentionally forfeit, his pride would never let him and Shiki could tell anyway, calling that the fight didn't count.

 

This time, Akira went on the offensive. He aimed a kick towards Shiki’s legs, but Shiki sidestepped the attack and swung his katana in retaliation. Akira blocked the sword, redirecting it away from his face. He took a step back from Shiki.

 

Akira changed strategies; he sheathed his dagger and decided to fight Shiki barefisted. While it was a definite risk, it would be the quickest way to beat Shiki. He readied himself into a fighting stance, fists ready to attack.

 

Shiki eyed Akira suspiciously, trying to figure out what Akira was scheming. However, going on the defensive was not his style, so Shiki chose to attack. He thrust his katana towards Akira’s legs, but Akira dodged to the side. Experimentally, Shiki tried a few more swipes at Akira, but none of them landed. That was when he noticed that Akira was focusing more his arm movements than at the sword in his hands.  _ So, that’s what he’s planning. _

 

Akira kicked at Shiki again, but feinted at the last minute and grabbed for Shiki’s arm, trying to disarm him.

 

However, Shiki already anticipated this. He threw his sword to the ground. With his hand now free, he punched Akira in the face.

 

Not expecting the blow, Akira recoiled from the attack. Seeing the katana on the ground, he kicked it farther away. Though his plan did not go as expected, he still succeeded in getting Shiki away from his sword. Akira felt more confident in this fist fight; he wasn’t the Blaster champion for nothing.

 

Shiki threw a left jab, but Akira already knew it was coming and countered it, not wasting the opportunity to return a punch to Shiki’s face.

 

The fight dragged on with neither side able to gain an advantage over the other. Both were drenched with sweat and had quite a few visible bruises from blocking and receiving blows.

 

Akira called out, “Isn’t it about time we settle for a truce?”

 

Shiki did not reply; he just walked over to the empty storefront and took a seat. Akira walked inside the store and came out a few minutes later, carrying two large backpacks.

 

Handing one of the bags to Shiki, Akira told him, “We need to move to another area. It’s not safe to linger around here any longer.”

 

Silently, Shiki stood up and surveyed the surrounding area. Without any warning, he walked away from the store.

 

Akira caught up with Shiki easily. “Hey, you do know where you’re going, right? That’s-”

 

“Toshima, or what’s left of it. I know.”

 

“If you know that, then why are you heading there?”

 

“I need to get something.”

 

Akira had been around Shiki long enough to know that once Shiki decides to do something, he will disregard anyone that tries to talk him out of it. The only thing Akira could do was accompany him to make sure he doesn’t die.

 

At this point, their injuries were starting to swell, but they ignored them. They had a meager supply of first aid items, so it was imperative of them to conserve. The additional supplies in their backpacks were packs of Solids and bottles of water. It should last them at least two weeks if they were careful.

 

The trip back to Toshima only took a few days. Ever since the civil war that broke out a couple years prior, the landscape had changed drastically. There were large amounts of rubble everywhere; most of the large buildings collapsed as a result of the constant barrage of armaments. Toshima was spared from the attacks, as it was a no man’s land and neither side wanted to risk going inside it for there was nothing to gain. However, the surrounding areas were not as lucky; they became barren wastelands.

 

Akira strolled through the dark streets of Toshima once more. It looked the same as always to him, ominous and dangerous. This city held nothing but unpleasant memories for him.

 

Shiki knew where he was headed. Each step he took was firm and brought him closer to his goal. He finally stopped in front of a multi story gray building.

 

Akira recognized it, “Is this apartment…” 

 

“Yes. Unfortunately, I have some things I need to get.” Shiki pushed his way through the front door. “If you don’t like it, just wait out here and make yourself a target.”

 

Akira followed Shiki into the building where he was once held captive.

 

Shiki walked into the old bedroom. Akira’s body tensed up as he remembered what went on in that room. Ignoring the thick layer of dust covering it, Shiki pushed the bed aside and pulled off a loose floorboard.

 

Akira told Shiki, “I’m going to look around for anything we can use. Let’s meet at the entrance when we’re done.”

 

It did not take long for the two of them to meet up again. Akira was holding onto a small black package. Shiki had a second katana in his hand and carried a large paper bag.

 

Akira asked Shiki, “What’s in the bag?”

 

Shiki put the bag on the floor and pulled out a bottle. “Whiskey.”

 

“Never knew you were such an alcoholic.”

 

Shiki ignored the comment. “Supplies are supplies. Don’t go complaining to me if we run out of water. Find anything useful? Probably not.”

 

“Actually, I did.” Akira thrusted the package at Shiki. “I left them the last time we were here. Also, I want want my clothes back.” The package contained Shiki’s original outfit, complete with the bracelets and crosses. Shiki currently wore Akira’s leather outfit, so Akira wore his old outfit with the bomber jacket.

 

“Whatever. Take this.” Shiki forced the second katana into Akira’s hands.

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“These two katanas were forged as a set. I want you to take this one. When I lost all purpose to live, you took care of me, kept me alive, even after all I did to you. Though I never asked you to, I am not one to be indebted to others, so I swear upon this blade. I will protect you and find whoever is after you. If I ever fail to fulfill that vow, take that blade and kill me with it. Since you were the one who saved me, my life is yours.”


End file.
